1,800 exhibitors, 18 exhibition halls – and countless innovations for the retail sector of tomorrow. You need a trained eye to make sense of it all. That’s exactly what our trend scout Alex Gehle and retail expert Chris Zorn offered with their KNOBLAUCH Expo Tour, ‘Spotting the bold’. Over two days at EuroShop 2026, they set off with various retailers, partners and members of the retail network to guide them to places where materials surprise, systems are reimagined and digital solutions take shopfitting to a whole new level. Inspiration and networking all in one – it doesn’t get any better than that!
‘I really enjoy taking part in retail tours at trade fairs because it gives me the chance to visit stands that I wouldn’t otherwise visit at all,’ said Stefan Richter, managing director of the Pier14 Group. The group operates 16 shops and four restaurants along the Baltic Sea coast. “We have various topics that are of particular interest to us at the moment,” says Stefan, referring to energy management and developments in AI. Although Stefan Richter and his team are already working with AI systems and digital signage solutions, he says he is, in his own words, “taking a wait-and-see approach”.
Just how far Pier14 has already progressed in terms of digital signage became apparent later on the tour at the stand of Digimago, a provider of real-time in-store analytics. A camera analyses customers on the shop floor live – and in compliance with data protection regulations – by gender and age. With the help of AI-powered software, content tailored to the specific customers – and perhaps even to the weather conditions – is displayed directly on screens in the shop. “We’re currently testing this system in our shop in Ahlbeck on the island of Usedom,” explained Stefan. AI-powered real-time analytics – soon, they’ll be an indispensable part of shops.
Alex and Chris showcased the very best of the digital world at the stand of Outform, an American display manufacturer. ‘Together we shape the world of retail’ is Outform’s motto. And even though Americans are known to have a tendency to exaggerate, in this case they are definitely right. With huge LED screens displaying razor-sharp content, they drew plenty of “Ahhhs” and “Ohhhhs” from participants on the Expo tours at EuroShop. The company already has branches in the UK and the Netherlands – after all, it supplies clients such as Nespresso, Vieve and Miele.
Stands such as Craft Mannequins from the Netherlands offered a striking contrast to oversized screens and digital signage systems. Their mannequins are made of papier-mâché and are 100 per cent biodegradable, apart from the metal parts in the shoulder areas of the mannequins. Recycled paper, which is ultimately finished to a stunning standard, sometimes in eye-catching colours. “I can really see these mannequins working well for pop-up spaces,” said Verena Korn, Head of Visual Merchandising and Planning at the fashion retailer Zinser. Pop-ups remain a key focus for them as a way of showcasing new brands or seasonal highlights in summer and winter.
Whilst the topic of sustainability was already highlighted at EuroShop 2023, three years on it seems to be even more deeply ingrained – at least as far as the exhibitors’ offerings are concerned. “We’ve included a few exciting stops at stands showcasing sustainable products, because here at KNOBLAUCH we’re absolutely convinced that our shopfitting needs to become more sustainable,” Alex reported during the tour. Gernot Schümann from the family-run retail company Dodenhof in Ottersberg-Posthausen, who joined the Expo tour alongside his colleagues Hanna Pfaff and Katharina Frank, was full of praise. “What a brilliant, inspiring format – it was really enjoyable and gave us lots of ideas,” he said after the tour, which lasted just under three hours.
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